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House dust concentrations of organophosphate flame retardants in relation to hormone levels and semen quality parameters

Use of environmentally persistent polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants has been reduced because of concerns about health effects, but potential health effects of organophosphate (OP) flame retardants used as alternatives to PBDEs have not been extensively investigated, despite evidence of widespread human exposure. Meeker and Stapleton (p. 318) measured the OP flame retardants tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) and triphenyl phosphate (TPP) in house dust samples collected from 50 male infertility clinic patients and estimated associations with serum hormone concentrations (luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, estradiol, prolactin, free thyroxine, total triiodothyronine, and thyrotropin) and semen quality parameters (concentration, motility, and morphology). The authors report that TDCPP and TPP were detected in 48 of 50 dust samples at widely varying concentrations.